When to use nofollow on external links
nofollow tells Google not to pass ranking credit through a link. Use it for paid and untrusted links, not for every outbound link.
Step by step, with screenshots: Nofollow, sponsored and ugc: link attributes explained →
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What it is
A nofollow link is a link with rel="nofollow" that asks search engines not to pass ranking credit to the page it points to. Since 2019 Google also has rel="sponsored" for paid links and rel="ugc" for user-generated links, and since 2020 it treats all three as hints rather than strict rules.
Google requires you to mark paid and sponsored links this way; unmarked paid links can count as link schemes. Adding nofollow to every outbound link is the opposite mistake: it tells search engines you do not stand behind any of your sources, partners or references.
OK looks like this: paid and affiliate links carry sponsored, comments and forum posts carry ugc, and links to sources you would recommend stay normal. getReport shows what share of the page's external links are nofollow so you can check it matches your intent.
What a passing site looks like
- Nofollow external links: passesinfo onlyeffort S
Questions people ask
Do nofollow links help SEO?
Not directly for rankings in most cases, because Google usually does not pass credit through them. They still bring visitors, help your brand get noticed and can lead to normal links from people who find you. For your own site, nofollow on outbound links does not improve your rankings either.
What is a nofollow link?
A nofollow link is an HTML link with rel="nofollow" in its tag, such as <a href="…" rel="nofollow">. It looks and works the same for visitors, but tells search engines not to treat it as an endorsement. Google now reads it as a hint and may still use the link for discovery.
When should you use nofollow links?
Use rel="sponsored" for paid, affiliate and sponsored links, rel="ugc" for links in comments, forums and other user content, and nofollow for links you cannot vouch for. Leave normal links to partners, sources and pages you recommend without nofollow, because those links show search engines what you stand behind.
What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow?
Dofollow is not a real attribute; it just means a normal link without rel="nofollow". A normal link can pass ranking credit to the target, while a nofollow link asks search engines not to. Both look identical to visitors and both can bring traffic.
What types of links should be nofollow?
Paid links, affiliate links, sponsored posts, press releases you paid to distribute, links in comments and forums, and links to sites you do not trust. Google prefers sponsored for paid and ugc for user content, but nofollow still works for both. Everything you would recommend should stay a normal link.